gird

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɡɜːd/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɡɝd/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)d

From Middle English girden, gerden, gürden, from Old English gyrdan (“to put a belt around, to put a girdle around”), from Proto-Germanic *gurdijaną (“to gird”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰerdʰ-. Cognate with West Frisian gurdzje, girdzje, Dutch gorden, German gürten, Swedish gjorda, Icelandic gyrða, Albanian ngërthej (“to tie together by weaving, to bind”).

gird (third-person singular simple present girds, present participle girding, simple past and past participle girded or girt)

1. (transitive) To bind with a flexible rope or cord.

   The fasces were girt about with twine in bundles large.

   • 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], page 120, column 2:

     We heere create thee the firſt Duke of Suffolke, / And girt thee with the Sword. Coſin of Yorke

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 45:3:

     Gird thy sword vpon thy thigh, O most mightie: with thy glory and thy maiestie.

2. (transitive) To encircle with, or as if with a belt.

   The lady girt herself with silver chain, from which she hung a golden shear.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Leviticus 8:7:

     And he put vpon him the coate, and girded him with the girdle, and clothed him with the robe, and put the Ephod vpon him, and he girded him with the curious girdle of the Ephod, and bound it vnto him therewith.

   • 1878, Peter Dodds McCormick (lyrics and music), “Advance Australia Fair”:

     Australia's sons, let us rejoice, / For we are young and free / We've golden soil and wealth for toil / Our home is girt by sea

   • 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:

     It took me back across the dim gulf of ages to some happy home in dead Imperial Kôr, where this winsome lady girt about with beauty had lived and died, and dying taken her last-born with her to the tomb.

3. (transitive, reflexive) To prepare (oneself) for an action.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 8:9:

     Associate your selues, O ye people, and yee shalbe broken in pieces; and giue eare all ye of farre countreys: gird your selues, and ye shalbe broken in pieces; gird your selues, and ye shalbe broken in pieces.

   • 2000 April 15, Tanya Millbank, “The net addict”, in The Guardian‎:

     […] I was intrigued by the notion of ‘virtual beating’, so I entered the words in the Mamma search engine. I girded myself for the sleaziest sites on the net, the kind that advertise the video of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee uncut, […]

   • 2022 December 9, Andrew Roth, “Putin suggests possibility of settlement to end war in Ukraine”, in The Guardian‎:

     The remarks came just days after Putin appeared to be girding Russians for a protracted war in Ukraine, saying that his military operation could be a “long-term process”.

• begird
• undergird
• ungird

• girder
• girdle
• gird one's loins, gird up one's loins
• girt

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

gird (plural girds)

1. A sarcastic remark.
   • c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:

     I thank thee for that gird, good Tranio.

2. A stroke with a rod or switch.
3. A severe spasm; a twinge; a pang.
   • 1671, John Tillotson, “Sermon II. The Folly of Scoffing at Religion. 2 Pet[er] III. 3.”, in The Works of the Most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson, Late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: […], 8th edition, London: […] T. Goodwin, B[enjamin] Tooke, and J. Pemberton, […]; J. Round […], and J[acob] Tonson] […], published 1720, →OCLC:

     Conscience […] is freed from many fearful girds and twinges which the atheist feels.

gird (third-person singular simple present girds, present participle girding, simple past and past participle girded)

1. (transitive) To jeer at.
   • c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:

     Being moved, he will not spare to gird the gods.

2. (intransitive) To jeer.
   • c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:

     Men of all sorts take a pride to gird at me.

• through-gird

• GRID, grid